Page 5 - Crappie NOW | July 2016
P. 5
Summer Brush & Beds
fishing spots that are not showing fish so we Billy & Scott Williams says spider rigging
scan until we find them. Once found, we drop is a key element to fishing many waters
down to see if the fish are crappie and learn across the country. It provides multiple
their size. Actually, during tournaments we baits, multiple depths, and a fast speed or
seldom target fish deeper than 12 feet because
it’s difficult to keep them alive. However, a total stop.
recreational fisherman should go to the depth
where he can catch the most and bigger fish.
In the summer that might be deep water.” fish.”
Scott says some of his best summer The team says baits boil down to using
spots are oak trees about 12 feet long they what is working. Sometimes it can be straight
have sunk. They put them in deep water, stand minnows but sometimes it’s jigs tipped with
them up vertical, not horizontal. They have minnows. Through experience they’ve learned
found that crappie like to suspend up in the top seasonal trends. Spider rigging often means
of these trees among the limbs.” double-hook rigs but the team also likes single-
Billy Williams says spider rigging isn’t hook rigs in thick brush for fewer hang-ups and
difficult but there are a few things that are very fewer lost fish. Scott says there are few things
important. “The first thing to being successful more aggravating than to hook a good fish and
is to pay attention to details. Pay attention to have the other hook of the double-hook rig to
your speed. The difference between going 0.3 hang in the brush and cause a lost fish.
mph and 0.4 mph can be critical at times.” “When we are using jigs,” says Scott, “we
“Also pay attention to your direction. This will be using Johnson jigs not just because they
is probably more important in shallow water are our sponsor but because the jigs work. We
but it can make a difference any time. Fish often use a jig tipped with a minnow but before
will be facing the current so you want to make we leave a good brushpile I’ll drop a jig loaded
sure you present bait to them so they can see with Shad Scales scent. Sometimes a big fish
it longer.” will jump on just the jig when it won’t a minnow
“So paying attention means a fisherman or jig/minnow combination. Johnson Crappie
is watching the things he is doing when catching Buster Tubes, Shad Tails and Shad Tubes are
fish so he can repeat the those things and all great baits and each one has a pocket to
eliminate the things that do not work. That’s hold scent. The company went serious into
a pattern and will let a fisherman catch more crappie baits a few years ago they did it right.”
The Williams’ other spider rigging
5 Crappie NOW July 2016
